In our four-part limited series on how the bike industry got itself into turmoil, we’ve released one final episode with a Q&A from our members.
This was a fun one to go back to some of the original (and new) industry guests to debrief on the series, and discuss some of the thoughts that formed after it.
You can listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, Google and most other major podcast platforms.
Thank you to all our members who submitted questions and I’m sorry we couldn’t address them all. Here are some of the highlights that we included in this episode:
David Savage from Indianapolis, Indiana, USA: How should consumers be approaching these issues in the bike industry from an ethical perspective? We all want to see the industry doing well, but there’s also a lot of really great deals floating around. And it sometimes wonders whether we’re doing the industry a disservice in the long run by taking advantage of some of those.
Jon Klaff from the UK: What were the effects of Brexit given COVID began just as the UK and EU were divorcing, and there were obvious supply chain issues across the whole of a variety of different industries? And how did that affect the cycling industry, in particular, with the pressures that you described in the main series?
Mark Martinet from Atlanta, Georgia, USA: Does anyone see a realistic future where outside industry or businesses step in to cycling to clean it up? And I really mean, putting them in a place where they’re using modern day with forecasting and metrics to have a realistic look at what the future will be for the cycling industry.
Secondly, I really wanted to see what the thoughts are on the industry having a more serious look at direct action on advocacy and lobbying on city and local governments for safety. As a new dad, here in Atlanta, I found that I’m just not riding outside much right now, because I just don’t feel safe. As somebody who used to race and ride a lot regularly, this is a strange place for me to be in. Taking my daughter out for a ride is something that I take a lot more seriously now.
David Lea from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia: As someone who works in FMCG and wholesaling, I found the series especially fascinating. A lot of the logistical and forecasting challenges coming into an unprecedented situation were very similar. But one thing that sticks out to me is the disconnect between manufacturers and retail sales data. The question ‘how many bikes did customers take home from a store last week?‘ doesn’t seem to be something most companies can answer. Do you see any movement from the industry to address this?
What did you think of this story?